Last night I read Doug Wilson's 2008 book, A Primer on Worship and Reformation: Recovering the High Church Puritan. While I didn't agree with all his conclusions, I enjoyed his book very much. Wilson is one of the best writers I've ever come across. His writing is brilliant, clever, and stylistically beautiful.
His first chapter, "They'll Know We are Christians by Our Schlock" immediately sent me to the dictionary (Wilson often sends me there). Turns out schlock is "something of cheap or inferior quality; junk." After working at LifeWay Christian Store off-and-on for four years while in College, Wilson's argument rung true for me. He writes:
Wilson goes on to trace out how the American church has gotten to where it is. Then he offers a solution: Recovering the High Church Puritan. What makes a high church puritan a high church puritan?
While I don't agree with all of Wilson's conclusions (especially paedocommunion), his explanation of worship as covenant renewal, his teaching that preaching is the art of metaphor, his high view of the Lord's Supper, and his high view of Sabbath observance were particularly compelling.
Anyone else out there read the book? If so, what did you think?
His first chapter, "They'll Know We are Christians by Our Schlock" immediately sent me to the dictionary (Wilson often sends me there). Turns out schlock is "something of cheap or inferior quality; junk." After working at LifeWay Christian Store off-and-on for four years while in College, Wilson's argument rung true for me. He writes:
The Church, when compromised, always tends to adapt itself to the surrounding and prevailing idolatry. When surrounded with the baals of Canaan, the Israelites did not chase after Greek gods. And in the American pantheon, one of the central gods is Mammon. Consequently, the compromised Church of our day bows and scrapes before the altar of this Mammon--and does so while calling the energy expended in all this shuffling a form of evangelism (10).
Wilson goes on to trace out how the American church has gotten to where it is. Then he offers a solution: Recovering the High Church Puritan. What makes a high church puritan a high church puritan?
Because he is high church, he does not behave like a schismatic, separatist, independent, or individualist. He has a high view of the covenant, and of our corporate identity with one another. Because he is Puritan, he intends to be a theological cavalier, and he fights for the integrity of obedience (26).
While I don't agree with all of Wilson's conclusions (especially paedocommunion), his explanation of worship as covenant renewal, his teaching that preaching is the art of metaphor, his high view of the Lord's Supper, and his high view of Sabbath observance were particularly compelling.
Anyone else out there read the book? If so, what did you think?
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